Facing his grandfather’s gaze, Duan Yu opened his mouth and said, “This grandson is slow-witted. Though I cannot bring glory to the family name, I still have some backbone. I lack wisdom and have no good strategy, so I won’t make a fool of myself. Whatever the rest of you decide to do — I’ll follow.”
The Old Master secretly nodded to himself. Being able to admit one’s shortcomings was already a very good sign.
In the end, everyone turned their eyes to Mingxi.
Mingxi: …
Seeing her surprised look, Duan Ning spoke directly, “Little Sister, this matter involves Duan Wang. No matter how angry we are, we know we can’t implicate His Highness because of the Marquis Household. Since he’s already involved, I’m sure you have a plan in mind. Just tell us what it is.”
“Elder Sister, you speak,” Duan Qi followed up.
Second and Third Master Duan were even more unquestioning — they’d long been accustomed to listening to Mingxi.
Mingxi paused briefly before saying, “I’ve already asked Wangye to interrogate Qiao Wan and the others, but we must be prepared. If the Crown Prince dares to use people like her, he must have made arrangements. We may not be able to trace the Eastern Palace through Qiao Wan alone.”
“Mingxi makes a good point,” Third Master Duan nodded. “Lately, the Eastern Palace has been probing for a way to insert themselves into the Imperial Horse Bureau, but Huang Shao has kept them at bay. Huang Shao and the Crown Prince are mortal enemies. The Crown Prince’s persistence shows how calculating he is.”
“Indeed. Qiao Wan comes from a lowly background, once a courtesan — who would believe she has ties to the Crown Prince? Without solid evidence, if this scandal broke out, people would only say we were slandering the Eastern Palace.”
“Right. And if we level such accusations now, the Eastern Palace might use it to drag Duan Wang down with them — that would be dangerous,” Duan Ning said in a low voice.
After all, the Eastern Palace’s ultimate target was still Duan Wang.
Suddenly, Duan Yu spoke, “So, little sister, are you suggesting we keep Qiao Wan and the others alive? That as long as they live, they’re a threat to the Eastern Palace?”
Mingxi looked at her older brother with some surprise, then nodded. “Big Brother guessed correctly — that’s exactly what I’m thinking. Even if we expose Qiao Wan now, first, we might not be able to extract truly damaging evidence. Second, even with evidence, if we ruin the Crown Prince’s reputation at this time, His Majesty might suspect Duan Wang is trying to challenge the heir — it could backfire.”
The Emperor might think Duan Wang is trying to seize power. Though the Crown Prince had recently lost some favor, it hadn’t yet reached the point where he would be deposed.
And right now, Xiao Muchen was riding high in influence. Every step had to be made with extreme caution.
That was why, during her earlier meeting with Xiao Muchen, Mingxi had suggested quietly imprisoning Qiao Wan and the others.
This matter could have unexpected uses later on.
“If we use Qiao Wan to keep the Crown Prince on edge, it might drive them to desperation,” Duan Ning said coldly.
Driven to desperation…
It was clear that Duan Ning, because of what happened to Yang Yiniang, now bore a deep hatred for the Eastern Palace. His words held no mercy.
The Old Master turned to Mingxi and said, “If that’s the case, we’ll follow your plan for now. But our household must begin preparing too.”
He looked at his sons and grandsons. “Given the current unfavorable situation, all of you must be extra cautious in your respective posts — and not just cautious, but ambitious. If we want justice, we can’t count on others. We must fight for it ourselves. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Father.”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
The Old Master nodded with satisfaction. At last, the Marquis household was showing some strength.
“Then let’s wait for Wangye’s news.”
“Yes, but right now, finding Big Brother is most urgent.”
Everyone chimed in. Mingxi listened quietly and then added, “Big Brother, about your son’s third-day celebration — since Madam is still unwell and cannot attend, if we hold a grand event, it’ll surely draw attention. I think it would be better to wait and combine it with the one-month banquet.”
Duan Yu immediately agreed, “Alright, I’ll take care of it.”
Canceling the third-day celebration was mainly to avoid drawing discontent from Fuchang Marquis’s household — Duan Yu had to handle that personally.
Then Duan Qi added, “Big Brother, Mother-in-law Xiao was already upset that Mother didn’t show up during Sister-in-law’s labor. I think you’ll need to smooth things over there too.”
Although Fuchang Marquis’s family was connected by marriage, the matter involving Qiao Wan touched on the Eastern Palace and Duan Wang — it couldn’t be disclosed entirely. Xiao’s side would also need to be pacified, and Duan Yu had a heavy load to bear.
This time, he agreed without hesitation. It was his failure as a son — for not taking Qiao Wan’s schemes seriously, leading to their mother’s suffering.
He owed his mother. No matter what, he had to restore her name.
The meeting was concluded. The Old Master waved everyone away.
Mingxi left with the others. Just outside the courtyard, she saw Duan Ning hurrying away — no surprise, given how close Yang Yiniang came to death, it had clearly shaken him deeply.
That night, no one slept well.
But early the next morning, finally, some good news came.
Qi He personally delivered it.
“Eldest Miss, Luo Mama has been found. She’s injured, but fortunately her life is not in danger. She’s already been brought back to Madam Jiang’s side, so you can rest easy.”
“Where did they hide Luo Mama?” Mingxi asked.
“You’ll never guess — they hid her in the same brothel Qiao Wan used to work in. That’s why it took us so long to find her,” Qi He replied.
Mingxi raised her brows. “That Qiao Wan is quite clever.”
“Yes, otherwise she wouldn’t have caught that one’s eye,” Qi He sneered. “There’s another matter, Eldest Miss —Eldest Master Duan still hasn’t been found. We’ll likely have to expand the search beyond the city.”
Mingxi frowned. “Still no sign?”
“No. We’ve checked all the usual places he visits. Today we’ll begin searching the outskirts.”
Mingxi fell into deep thought. “Hasn’t Qiao Wan confessed?”
“She’s very tight-lipped. Even tried to bite her own tongue to commit suicide. Fortunately, our interrogators were quick and dislocated her jaw in time.”
Mingxi had expected Qiao Wan to be a tough one. “Is there no way to keep her under control?”
If she kept trying to kill herself, she’d eventually succeed.
And if she died, there’d be no way to confront her — which would be disastrous.
“We’ve already sent people to investigate Qiao Wan’s background. Everyone has a weakness — we’ll find hers. Don’t worry, Eldest Miss. Right now she’s under constant watch by two matrons. There’s no way she’ll die on our watch.”
Mingxi felt deeply frustrated. In her past life, trapped in the back courtyard of Duke Gao’s household, she hadn’t had the chance to go out and learn about the capital. If she had, she wouldn’t be in such a passive position now.
Suddenly, a thought struck her. She looked at Qi He and said, “Have someone quietly follow Gao Zhan. We might get something from him.”
n her previous life, Gao Zhan had done plenty of under-the-table work for the Crown Prince. But in this life, because of her interference, Gao Zhan lacked the wealth and connections he once had. Although the Crown Prince still valued him, he was far less relied upon than before.
If Gao Zhan wanted to stand out by the Crown Prince’s side, he’d have to find another opportunity.
And this matter with Qiao Wan—might just be that opportunity.
With that thought, Mingxi found herself a little dazed. Since her rebirth, aside from a few encounters with Gao Zhan at the beginning, they had long since gone their separate ways. It had been a long time since she’d seen him.
See? The cage she once thought she could never escape—now that she chose a different path, everything had changed.
